Scholarly Paper/Project Guidelines

Main Content

In consultation with a faculty member in the College of Communication, the student should expand or develop a paper or project they worked on in the program. This professor should have expertise in the area the student’s paper/project is based. A meeting should be scheduled to discuss the requirements and design an agreement for the paper/project.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Scholarly Paper/Project option, students must hold a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the quarter the faculty consultant is secured and must have completed at least 10-courses (40-credits) in the Digital Communication and Media Arts program.

A student who does not meet the 3.5 GPA requirement may petition to complete the Scholarly Paper/Project option by submitting two letters of recommendation from faculty members with whom they have taken classes to program director. The graduate program director will review the letters and decide whether the student is eligible to pursue the Scholarly Paper/Project option.

Procedure

Student will contact the College of Communication professor with whom they want to work. This professor should have expertise in the area the student’s paper/project is based. A meeting should be scheduled to discuss the requirements and design an agreement for the paper/project.

Approval form

The completed approval form​, must be submitted to the graduate advisor by the end of the first week of the quarter that the paper/project will be completed.

Paper

A paper must be expanded into a publishable work (e.g., book chapter/article). The paper does not have to be published, but should be in a suitable state for submission if the student wishes to publish it.

Student must also create a conference presentation (e.g., Prezi or PowerPoint) that presents the paper for the professor (this presentation is open to the public).

Project

A project must be expanded into professional-level work.

Student must also submit a short (1500-3000 word) reflection on the experience, addressing points such as:

Why was this paper/project of particular interest to you?

What were the 2-3 greatest challenges you faced? How did you overcome them?

How has completing this paper/project contributed to your larger goals of completing the DCMA program?

What was your most significant learning outcome of completing the paper/project?

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated with a pass/fail. Specific guidelines for what constitutes “passing” will be outlined between the professor and the student when the scholarly paper/project commences.